But I Never Said I Love You
by Videl Warrior Princess
Summary: [Post Game, pre AC][Cleris] Cloud wanders into the last place to pay his respects to his beloved Aeris. [Oneshot]


A/N: I was looking up my list of fics I have finished and realized that I didn't have anything that began with a B, and one of the few B-words that entered my mind was but -- as in but I don't wanna go to school. I formed an idea from that and part of a FF7 fic I was working on. This is the end result. Completely random idea. Let's see how it is… Review please. Feedback is welcomed. Flames are led to the exit.

Other Comments: The quotes near the end might not be EXACT quotes. It's been awhile since I've played the game, and I didn't feel like playing through the first disc at about one in the morning to find them. They are close to what was said though.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part, character, idea, or anything FF7. It was created by the company SquareSoft, which is now SquareEnix.

**But I Never Said I Love You **

It had been a month since that fateful fight with Sephiroth. Cloud had slashed down his former mentor, and the Lifestream had healed the world and stopped Meteor. Yet, Cloud knew it was really Aeris that saved the Planet. The biggest hero of all, and no one would ever remember her, no one would ever honor her name. She was left all alone in the so-called "Promise Land."

The group had all went their separate ways after that event. Barret took Marlene and placed her into a good school in Kalm. Vincent went off on his own to wander the Earth, searching for his own means of salvation and forgiveness from his hideous "sin." Cid returned to Rocket Town, going back to being a mechanic, living with Shera. Red XIII had gone back to Cosmo Canyon to take his grandfather's place. Reeve (aka Cait Sith) was made the new president of ShinRa Inc. Yuffie started her journey back to her home in Wutai, having stolen some materia from the others once more (but not all of it this time!). Tifa reopened her bar in Midgar, starting a new life in the city. That left just Cloud. Since he had nowhere else to go, and from persuasion from his friends, he stayed with Tifa.

It didn't last long though. They moved into an apartment a week after the defeat of Sephiroth, and two weeks later, Cloud left.

It wasn't her fault. He just didn't love her. Oh sure, he tried, he really tried to love her, but his feelings fell short. She was physically desirable sure; her bust was enough to make any grown man fall to his knees and beg to suckle them, but there was something missing. The childhood fantasy and yearning that he had for her was gone. He knew just staying there was hurting her, and it wasn't doing his tattered soul any good, so he left.

Now he was wandering. He had been wandering around the Earth for a month, going wherever his feet seemed to take him. Going anywhere. Anywhere, just to get his mind off _her_. And now by pure chance or some sick ironic form of Fate, he was in the City of the Ancients. The place of her people, the place he realized she loved him, the place of… her death…

A shiver of horror went down his spine as he remembered that dreadful night. He literally froze as the nightmare from the past replayed in his mind.

She looked up at him, having stopped her prayer, smiling sweetly at him. No matter what had happened, she was always full with joy, hope, and love. He was enchanted by her, finding that she was just irresistible, and that's what made him afraid. To him, everything had a reason to it, nothing controlled him. Yet, he couldn't explain this love for her or how he fell so deeply into that spell, and it scared him. So he just stood there, he just stood there, watching her intently, not taking his eyes away from hers for even a second. Her eyes were such a beautiful shade of emerald green, he could stare at them forever. That was when it happened. Before he could even breathe, Sephiroth swooped down from the sky and killed her in one sweep. Cloud screamed.

He saw her on the outskirts of Midgar asking him to buy a flower.

_"Would you like to buy one? They only cost one gil."_

He saw her looking over him after he fell into her church.

_"Are you okay now?"_

He saw her jumping down the pile of junk to catch up with him on the way to her home.

_"Oh, you're terrible!"_

He saw her sitting across him on the Ferris Wheel ride.

_"I want to see you Cloud."_

He saw her at last from his vision.

_"It will be alright Cloud."_

He cried. He cried and held her dead corpse close to him. He didn't know what else to do. He felt his lungs tighten, his mind spinning, his heart shattering in that moment. He remembered her smile, her kindness, her laughter, her love…

His body shook as he snapped back into the present, and he found himself beside the lake. He looked at the cerulean blue waters, smooth as glass on the surface, and he remembered the pearl asleep underneath the waters. Her last words came to him once more as he looked at the peaceful lake: _It will be alright Cloud._

"A…Aeris…how can it be though?…" he whispered softly, and finally losing himself, he fell to his knees, grabbing his head.

Her words came again: _It will be alright Cloud._

He cried painfully, his tears falling into the lake. "But I never said I love you…"


End file.
